Special interest groups from Portland Bend are lobbying the president to create a national monument in Eastern Oregon’s Malheur County. But what they’re not considering is how a monument would devastate local families.
Eastern Oregon monument would drive out local families from Our Land, Our Voice on Vimeo.
Special interest groups from Portland Bend are lobbying the president to create a national monument in Eastern Oregon’s Malheur County. But what they’re not considering is how a monument would devastate local families. “When you take away the ranches, these communities just will not exist,” said Erika Bentz, a sixth-generation rancher. “You can’t pack up a ranch and move. You can’t pack up your family and the connections and the history and just take it somewhere else.”
No monument without a vote of Congress
Public lands belong should not be locked away. They are our land.
Special interest groups are pressuring President Obama to declare 2.5 million acres of land in Eastern Oregon a federal monument. We believe everyone should have a voice in these decisions.
This action isn’t necessary and will harm local communities – from jobs to schools to the overall quality of life. A recent advisory vote in Malheur County shows citizens are soundly against a monument designation. At the polls, 90 percent of voters opposed it.
A new 2.5 million acre monument area – already protected by multiple layers of regulation – is unnecessary and goes too far. It promotes the desires of special interest groups and locks out local experts, like farmers and ranchers, who have responsibly cared for the land for generations.
To help the people of Eastern Oregon, please sign the petition to Stop the Monument by going HERE.
*Free Range Report*
